Chapter 7: The Quicksilver Experience

"Alara! Wake up! Alara! It's time for, like, school!"

Alara woke up to Kitty shaking her gently. She sat up and yawned.

"What time is it?" she asked sleepily.

"Everyone loved your breakfast! They all told me to say, like, thanks and all that."

Alara smiled softly and got out of bed. She went to the dresser and picked out her outfit for the first day of school and, while Kitty rambled on about who she should hope not to get for a teacher, she got dressed.

On the bus ride there, Kitty rambled some more and Alara listened, but her eyes never left Kurt, who sat by himself a few seats in front of her. She missed the blue skin and yellow eyes, but the image produced by the holographic watch he wore still kept her eyes glued to him.

As the bus stopped at the last stop before school, Kitty groaned.

"Oh no. It's, like, the Brotherhood stop. I'm not in the mood to deal with them today."

Alara looked at Kitty, confused. Kitty looked at her and said, "The Brotherhood is a bunch of people, like, like us, but they're generally not very nice. Except for Lance. He's pretty nice."

The bus doors opened and about 5 people got on. Kitty named each as they got on.

"Okay, like, the first one's Todd. His nickname is Toad because he's got abilities like a frog. The second one is, like, Wanda. She's the Scarlet Witch. She hexes people. The third one is Fred. His ability is obvious. Like, the fourth one is Lance. His nick is Avalanche because he manipulates the earth, like earthquakes and stuff. And the last one is, like, Pietro. Quicksilver because he's got super-human speed."

Alara watched as they got on single file and glared at all of the people from the institution. Todd, Wanda, and Fred walked past them, looking at Alara curiously. Lance sat across from Kitty, who sat in the aisle seat and Pietro sat in front of Alara. Kitty began to talk to Lance and Pietro turned around to look at Alara. His blue eyes met her confident green eyes. She smiled at him and he smiled back.

"You new?" he asked her.

She nodded silently.

"What's your name?"

"Alara."

"Aren't you afraid of someone like me? From the Brotherhood and all?"

She blinked.

"Why should I be? You're not going to hurt me," she said as she smiled and winked. "I'd probably hurt you more than you'd hurt me."

Pietro smiled.

"What's your name again?"

"Alara."

"Alara what?"

"Alara Netermu Nakia."

"Wow. Long name," Pietro said, leaning closer to her. "Pretty though. What is it? Spanish? Japanese?"

Alara snickered.

"It's Egyptian. It means… well each name means a different thing."

Pietro smiled.

"Like what?"

"Well Alara means pure joy, Netermu means constantly doing good with devotion and tenderness, and Nakia means pure or faithful."

"Wow," Pietro exclaimed. "That is a great name."

Alara smiled and tilted her head slightly.

"Thank you. What's your name?"

"Pietro. Pietro Maximoff."

Alara giggled slightly.

"What's so funny?" he asked, playfully. "Is it my name? Maximoff?"

She giggled again. Pietro smiled deviously.

"Why is Maximoff so funny?"

She snorted slightly and started laughing harder. Pietro chuckled slightly as the bus stopped at the school. The bus doors opened with a hissing noise and people crowded to get off. Alara stayed seated, as did Pietro. Alara looked over and noticed that Kitty had moved over to sit next to Lance. She shrugged and looked back to Pietro.

"It seems that my guide for today has found someone else more interesting than guiding me around," she said jokingly.

Pietro nodded.

"I can take you around the school if you like," he offered.

Alara smiled at him.

"I think I'd like that," she replied.

The bus had emptied but for the two of them and they walked off together towards the office.

"Have you registered?" he asked.

She shook her head and looked around the high school, obviously frightened. Pietro noticed how tense she looked and using this to his advantage, he put an arm around her shoulders.

"Relax. No one can hurt you when I'm around."

She smiled up at him. He blinked slightly as something inside him stirred.

What the hell? he thought.

They walked into the office just as the first bell rang. The secretary looked up at Pietro and Alara disinterestedly.

"Mr. Maximoff, shouldn't you be in class?" she droned.

"No Miss Hinkley. I've been instructed to take her around school today, but she doesn't seem to be registered," he replied.

"In that case, we have some forms she needs to fill out and she has to wait until tomorrow until she can come to school. Tomorrow, her schedule will be ready. You, Mr. Maximoff, can go to class right now."

"She wants to be in as many of my classes as she can if that would be possible," he asserted.

Alara looked at him confused, but smiled when he winked at her.

"All right Mr. Maximoff. But you need to get to class."

"I need a hall pass," he said quickly.

The secretary rolled her eyes and quickly scrawled out her signature on a piece of paper and handed it to Pietro. He smiled at Alara and as he walked past her, he whispered in her ear, "Meet me in the front of the school in thirty minutes."

She nodded slightly and he walked out of the office. The secretary looks up at her like a peach colored toad and asked, "Name?"

"Alara Netermu Nakia."

"Age?"

"16."

"Address?"

"Um… I don't know."